Reichenbach's principle of a probabilistic common cause of probabilistic correlations is formulated in terms of relativistic quantum field theory and the problem is raised whether correlations in relativistic quantum field theory between events represented by projections in local observable algebras A(V1) and A(V2) pertaining to spacelike separated spacetime regions V1 and V2 can be explained by finding a probabilistic common cause of the correlation in Reichenbach's sense. While this problem remains open, it is shown that if all superluminal correlations predicted by the vacuum state between events in A(V1) and A(V2) have a genuinely probabilistic common cause, then the local algebras A(V1) and A(V2) must be statistically independent in the sense of C*-independence.

If {A(V)} is a net of local von Neumann algebras satisfying standard axioms of algebraic relativistic quantum field theory and V 1 and V 2 are spacelike separated spacetime regions, then the system (A(V 1), A(V 2), f) is said to satisfy the Weak Reichenbach’s Common Cause Principle iff for every pair of projections A ¥ A(V 1), B ¥ A(V 2) correlated in the normal state f there exists a projection C belonging to a von Neumann algebra associated with a spacetime region V contained in the union of the backward light cones of V 1 and V 2 and disjoint from both V 1 and V 2, a projection having the properties of a Reichenbachian common cause of the correlation between A and B. It is shown that if the net has the local primitive causality property then every local system (A(V 1), A(V 2), f) with a locally normal and locally faithful state f and suitable bounded V 1 and V 2 satisfies the